


the two of us, stop the loneliness

by remi_mae



Category: Super Sentai Series, 騎士竜戦隊リュウソウジャー | Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger
Genre: Canon Compliant, Comfort, Could be read as pre-relationship though it was intended to be platonic, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Koh is a good friend, i don't know how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 05:55:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19823920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remi_mae/pseuds/remi_mae
Summary: Having a photographic memory has always been a blessing to Melto. Right now though? It's never been more of a curse.Or, Melto has a nightmare, and he and Koh talk.





	the two of us, stop the loneliness

**Author's Note:**

> My first toku fanfic in years ;-; I think the last time I wrote anything was when Gokaiger was still airing. Last time I finished something at least. I have a couple of little things I may finish eventually. Either way, it's been years since I wrote anything for Super Sentai, but I love??? Ryusoulger so much. They are all my kids and I fight anyone says anything mean about them.
> 
> This is set between episodes two and three; before Bamba and Towa show up at any rate. I'm pretty sure they jump right into trying to find them, but lets pretend it takes a few days? Kids gotta sleep sometime.
> 
> Title from TXT's Crown

It takes a few days, before it really sinks in. Or rather, it takes a few days before Melto lets it sink in.

Every time he closes his eyes it's all he sees - the Minusaur, he and Asuna, frozen in fear, and then Master Blue pulling him out of the way, stepping into the path of destruction himself, Asuna's master doing the same. And then - and then fire, and _hot_ , and... nothing. And then nothing. Master Blue and Master Pink, gone. Incinerated. Nothing even left to bury -

So, Melto just... doesn't close his eyes. They have lots to do, and it keeps him busy, keeps him from thinking about it much. Asuna and Koh seem to be the same, if he knows them half as well as he thinks he does - and he knows them well. He remembers pretty much everything, and memories without at least one of them are rare, and mostly from when he was very young, before he'd become friends with them.

Still, he catches Asuna turning, opening her mouth to say something and then stopping, face falling; remembering that her mentor is no longer there. He sees Koh absentmindedly fingering his necklace, staring at a wall, clearly lost in his thoughts. They both seem to jump back a little quicker, always have. In many ways, he's jealous of them, but he understands he brings things to the table that they don't - but right now? Right now he's never hated his memory quite as much.

He hasn't really dreamed, up until this point. When he's slept, dreamless sleeps, it's been because he can't keep his eyes open any longer, falling asleep over books and papers, and he knows he only wakes up in a bed because Ui's father has made sure that's where he ends up; Asuna and Koh always go to bed before him. Asuna's sharing Ui's room, so she goes to bed when the other girl does. He and Koh have spent so much time together over the years, are so used to sleeping in the same area that Koh's long since stopped trying to get him to go to sleep before he wants to, unless he's actually falling asleep at the table.

Tonight though, even though it's no different than the past few nights, he dreams. Except it's not so much a dream as it is a memory, forcing him to watch the death of his Master over and over and _over_ again, helpless to do anything, even as he knows _exactly_ what's coming.

He jerks awake with a quiet cry, sitting up in bed before he's really awake. There are no sounds in the room aside from his too heavy breathing, and Koh's soft snores. That's almost comforting, in a way. It reminds him that it was just a dream (a memory, a _nightmare_ ) and if it was anything more, something tangible there to hurt him, Koh wouldn't still be asleep.

He sits, just trying to get his breathing under control, for a few minutes, trying not to think about the memories.

Sometimes having a photographic memory is a blessing - most of the time that's how he thinks of it. He's a scholar, in many ways. He loves reading and learning new things, and a photographic memory helps with that, makes it easier. He learns quickly because of it, remembers things others miss the first time. He doesn't forget faces or names, ever, and while the other kids in the tribe might've made fun of him for it, it always made his studies easy, meant that he was one of the smartest among the students.

This is the first time in his entire life that Melto has felt like his memory is a curse. What good is remembering all of the good if every time you close your eyes, all you see is the bad, replayed in perfect clarity, unable to forget even the littlest of details.

He lets out a shaky breath, running a hand over his face, just trying to make the memories recede. He doesn't think he'll fall asleep again, but a quick glance at the clock across the room tells him it's also too early to get up, not without someone questioning it, especially not with how late he's known to stay up. Even before, when they were still with the tribe, he was always staying up late, Master Blue always having to tell -

No. Don't think about Master - don't bring up more memories.

It's not until he hears blankets russling that he notices he's crying.

"Melto?" Koh's voice is quiet, though whether it's because he's still half asleep, or because he feels he needs to be gentle for once, Melto's not sure.

He rubs at his cheeks, wiping tears away before he looks over at his friend. It's dark, but the curtains in the room don't block all the light, so it's difficult, but not impossible, to see Koh, barely sitting up, rubbing at his eyes, hair sticking up anywhere. Melto tries to smile - he doesn't think he's really succeeded, but hopefully the dark of the room will hide that.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" His voice sounds off, and Koh, even half asleep, notices. He finishes sitting up, shaking his head.

"No, no. You didn't wake me." Melto thinks it's a lie but Koh is generally a heavy sleeper. He's always slept through storms, the thunder or heavy rain never bothering him once. It's like he can detect when others are upset though, even in his sleep. This isn't the first time that they've slept in the same room when Melto's had a nightmare, just for him to find Koh either already awake, or waking up not long after he does.

Normally that's fine, a comfort even. Normally those nightmares are just that though, nightmares. Bad dreams brought on by ghost stories he heard the other kids whispering to each other, by anxiety, or even just getting over a cold. Normally Koh is a comfort those nights - it's like he chases Melto's fears away, at least for a little while. Asuna too, on the nights she's around; for all that she can't control her strength sometimes, she gives amazing hugs.

Right now though, Melto feels selfish that he's the one needing comfort. Koh and Asuna both lost their mentors too.

"Melto?" Koh's voice breaks him out of his thoughts again, and he shakes his head.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep Koh." He lays back down, turning so his back is to Koh. It's quiet for a minute, not even, and Melto has to resist the urge to sigh when he can hear Koh moving around on his futon. For half a moment, he thinks Koh's listened for once and is just getting comfortable again, but then the rustling stops, and there are a few soft footsteps as Koh pads across the room, coming to a stop beside Melto's futon. "Koh. Just go back to sleep. I'm fine." Koh makes a noise, a sort of 'I don't buy that for a second,' noise, before he nudges Melto. And again. And again, and then Melto only turns over to tell Koh to his face to leave him alone.

But, when he turns over the look on Koh's face stops him. He's smiling, softly, sadly, but he's smiling, and then he nudges Melto again, and he moves over without really realizing he is, sitting up and making room for Koh to sit on the small futon beside him.

"Nightmare?" Koh asks. Melto suspects he already knows, as he always does, but it's a routine at this point; Koh asks, Melto tries to deny it, but always ends up admitting that's what it was. Tonight though, instead of trying to deny it when asked outright, he just nods. If it surprises Koh, he doesn't show it. "About your Master?" Koh's voice is even softer, if that was possible, and Melto just nods again.

It's quiet for a few minutes before Koh speaks again.

"I'm not going to ask you if you want to talk about it, because I think we both know you don't." Melto hums quietly in agreement. "But I'm here. Asuna's here. You're not alone, Melto. You don't have to pretend you're okay if you're not."

He pulls his legs up to his chest, and while Koh doesn't say anything, Melto knows he's watching him, even without looking up. He hugs his knees tightly, before mumbling "I see it every time I close my eyes." He hears Koh quietly gasp - Melto's not sure if his friend didn't expect him to speak, or if he wasn't expecting _what_ he said, but the proverbial floodgates are open now.

"And I feel selfish, because you and Asuna went through the exact same thing as me, but I'm jealous because at least as time goes on, you'll forget the details. Every time I close my eyes, I see it happening over and over again, exactly as it happened. I hate that I'm jealous of you two, because I _shouldn't_ be." He lets out a shaky breath, not looking up from his knees.

A quiet "Melto..." is about all the warning he gets before Koh's practically throwing himself onto Melto. He flails, for a moment, before he realizes Koh's just hugging him and relaxes. "I know... I know none of us really _want_ to talk about it, but you don't have to keep everything inside. We're here. You'd do anything to help Asuna and I, so let us help you." Koh squeezes him a little bit tighter when he doesn't respond, and Melto finds himself relaxing a little more.

"Do whatever you want," is his mumbled reply. Koh smiles - Melto doesn't even need to be looking to know he does, he can practically _hear_ it - and relaxes his hold, just a little. Enough for Melto to move away, if he wants, but he doesn't. It's... nice. He's not Koh or Asuna - he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve the way that they do - but sometimes he's glad they're usually preceptive enough to pick up when he's not okay. It makes him feel less alone, less alienated from them. Growing up, they were among the only kids who didn't treat him differently - he was always kind of an outsider, because of his hair, or his memory. Asuna and Koh have never treated him like that. Asuna probably got it, people sometimes teasing her or treating her differently because of her strength, but Koh... Koh's just Koh, and he's never treated Melto any differently, and it's always made him feel like he actually belongs, like Asuna and Koh actually like him, and not just because they're Ryusoulgers, because they've spent years and years training together and had to get along.

"D'you want to try and get some more sleep?" Koh asks after some time has passed. Honestly, Melto was starting to think the other boy had already fallen asleep, and had nearly been asleep again himself. He nods, stiffening a little when Koh starts to pull away.

"Don't go." The words are quick and quiet, but Koh still hear them and just smiles.

"I won't," he gestures over his shoulder, towards his futon. "I'm just going to pull this over. We're not as small as we used to be." Melto can't help the small laugh that escapes, and Koh's eyes light up at it. They adjust the futons so they're pushed together, and when Melto starts to drift off again, Koh pressed right up beside him, he has a feeling if he dreams again, it won't be nightmares. Koh's always been good at chasing those away.

(When Asuna comes to wake them up in the morning, she can't help but hesitate. She has a feeling that one of them had a nightmare - though, the two of them being curled up together like that, that's definitely new. They both seem more at ease than they have the last couple of days though, even asleep, so she closes the door and decides she'll let them sleep a little longer. They deserve it.)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I'm hoping to write some more Sentai and Kamen Rider stuff, as it does tend to inspire me, and hopefully it helps me get back into the swing of writing and actually finishing things.


End file.
